Apparatus for vacuum sealing bottles with crown caps



Oct. 22, 1957 F. A. PARODI 2,310,244

APPARATUS FOR VACUUM SEALING BOTTLES WITH CROWN CAPS File d Sept. 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4-? ll 13*: l 1 l? y I m W60] 33 P1 16 a2 2a 45 I 5 27 l8 l '-l ll 2 1""? INVENTOR ibderiw A. Par-0J1 ATTORNEY Oct. 22, 1957 F. A. PARODI 4 APPARATUS FOR VACUUM-SEALING BbTTLES WITH CROWN CAPS Filed Sept. 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Shea; 2

- 43 @E I' H @10 v 1; I In 3/ 16 34 1a 35 i: m 27' E .5. 7 I? r 43 I 1| l 1|. I0 15 k 16 f- H Z 10 33 J 25 iii? 22 Z\\\\\ 5 I I? MEN-fox, Federica A; Pal-003i ATTORNEY Uflied at s P w O APPARATUS FOR VACUUM SEALING BOTTLES WITH CROWN CAPS Federico A. Parodi, Montevideo, Uruguay Application September 2, 1955, Serial No. 532,341

11 Claims. (Cl. 53-88) The present invention relates to apparatus for vacuum sealing bottles with crown caps and more particularly to a simple and efiicient device which receives a crown cap and a bottle, evacuates the bottle, applies and forms the cap to the bottle and discharges the capped evacuated bottle, the operation of the device being wholly mechanical.

In accordance with the invention, the apparatus for vacuum sealing bottles with crown caps comprises a closing and forming die slidingly mounted within a sleeve. The lower end of the sleeve is provided with resilient means which sealingly contacts the exterior of the neck of a bottle to be capped.

The die is provided with a cap retaining ledge underlying a conical cap applying and forming chamber and the sleeve is apertured so that caps may be fed through the sleeve to the cap retaining ledge. The sleeve is also provided with a vacuum port which, when the sleeve is properly positioned with respect to the die, will permit air within the die to be exhausted through the vacuum port, the aperture in the sleeve being moved out of alignment with the cap retaining ledge when the vacuum port of the sleeve is in communication with the die cavity.

It might appear that the vacuum sealing operation effected in accordance with the invention could be effected with a capping machine enclosed within an evacuated chamber. As will be evident, this requires that a very large space be maintained in evacuated condition and also introduces the problem of feeding and removing bottles and caps from the evacuated space. It might also appear that use could be made of a plurality of small chambers into which individual bottles could be introduced in order to be capped. In this event, the problem arises of feeding caps into the chambers. In this latter event, magnetic means may be employed in accordance with the disclosures of my copending applications Serial Nos. 515,512 and 515,513 both of which were filed on June 14, 1955. As previously indicated, the'present invention does not employ magnets but-instead presents a simple and efficient device the operation of which is wholly mechanical.

An object of the invention is the provision of apparatus for vacuum sealing bottles with crown caps in which the bottles and caps are separately introduced to the device and the caps are applied to the bottles after a vacuum has been established therein, the operation of the device bein g wholly mechanical.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device as aforesaid which is capable of forming an integral part of conventional automatic rotary machines in which the operation of the vacuum is controlled by the presence of a bottle so that, should a bottle 'not'be supplied, the vacuum line does not operate.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

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Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an elevation similar to that shown in Fig. l with parts broken away and in section and showing the crown cap positioned within the die of the cap in position;

Fig. 6 is an elevation similar to that shown in Fig. 5, the external sleeve having been raised with respect to the die to permit evacuation of the die cavity; and

Fig. 7 is an elevation similar to that shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and illustrating the application of the crown cap to the bottle. 7

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 10 generically designates a cylindrical die which is supported by means of clamps 11 and 12 which are secured together at 13, the clamp 12 being integral with an arm 14 which is fastened to the central supporting column of a conventional rotary capping machine.

As is known, conventional rotary capping machines are provided with a plurality of radial arms secured to a central supporting column, the arms carrying closing dies which are advanced from station to station as the central column is rotated. The central column also carries bottle supports so that bottles fed upon the bottle supports will be advanced in rotary fashion about the supporting column together with the corresponding die which is immediately thereabcve.

Thebottle supports are positioned above a cam track so that, as the'bottle supports move from station to station, the distance between the closing dies and the bottle supports is varied as the bottles are moved from station to station. In particular, stations are provided where bottle caps are supplied and bottles are supplied and at these stations, the cam track on which the bottle supports ride permits the bottle supports and closing dies to be widely separated. When the closing dies and bottle supports are moved to a closing station, the cam track forces the bottle supports upwardly to force the bottles into the dies to cause the crown caps therein to be formed around the top of the bottle. The cam track then permits the bottle to be lowered to remove the capped bottle from the closing die.

In accordance with the present invention, the conventional equipment is employed with the exception that the device of the invention is employed instead of the conventional closing die and suitable vacuunrlines are provided as will be more fully evident hereinafter.

A sliding cylinder 15 is fitted upon the cylindrical die 10, the fit being a close one so as to substantially prevent leakage of air between the mating walls of the cylindrical die 10 and the cylinder 15. The lower end of the cylinder 15 is provided with a soft elastic rubber band 17 which serves to assure a hermetic seal between the lower end of the cylinder 15 and the exterior of the neck of the bottle to be capped.

The cylinder 15 is provided with a transverse opening 18 which coincides, when the cylinder 15 is in its lowermost position, with a smilar opening formed in the wall of the cylindrical die 10. The construction of the opening 18'and the corresponding opening in the cylindrical die 10 is clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4 where it can be seen that these openings extend for approximately 180.".

The cylinder 15 is also provided with a vacuum port 16 through which air from thespace between the bottle and the cylindrical die 10 is exhausted.

With reference to Fig. 4, it will be observed that the opening 18 in the cylinder 15 is in communication with a similar opening in the cylindrical die 10 which leads to a cylindrical chamber 20. Beneath the chamber 20 isa chamber 19, of conical shape, the chamber 20 being separated from the chamber 19 by a ledge 21 the inter- I I nal diameter of which is slightly less than the external diameter of the crown cap which is introduced through the opening 18 so that the crown cap will slide within the chamber 20 and be retained therewithin by the ledge 21.

Outside of the cylinder and independent of it, two horizontal bars 22 and 23 are fastenedto the plate of the machine and supported by it, which horizontal bars serve as a retaining wall for the crown caps when the latter are not in front of the said opening that permits their entrance into the interior of the cylindrical die 10; these bars 22 and 23 are, substantially, circumferential arcs that extend between one and another of the.

vacuum sealing devices that are fastened in place on the periphery of the rotating disk of the machine. Said machine will have attached to it a means for sorting crown caps, which said means consists of a chute which is connected with a hopper provided with a mechanism for sorting and arranging the crown caps and loading them into the said chute in proper position to be delivered for the closing operation; the said chute (capfeeder) is open at the lower end and the crown caps are in condition to be expelled by pressure of those that follow from above, but such expulsion is not brought about because, as stated above, the bars 22 and 23 form a retaining wall for said crown caps; if it is considered that the disk upon which are mounted the said devices will be rotating, it is clear that each time one of said devices arrives in front of the cap-feeder a crown cap 25 will slide along the inclined plane of the said chute and enter into the chamber the same cap will keep the following cap from entering, which said following cap will be retained by the bar 23 after the corresponding device has completed its passage in front of the means for sorting crown caps. This part of the device, and also the means for sorting the crown caps, are known.

Above the chamber 20, the cylindrical die 10 is formed with a conical portion 27 which constitutes the die which carries out the closing operation with the crown cap. Above the conical portion 27, the cylindrical die 10 is provided with a cylindrical chamber 28 the function of which will be described hereinafter.

As previously stated, the cylinder 15 slides upon the cylindrical die 10. The cylinder 15 is not intended to rotate with respect to the cylindrical die 10 so that, when the cylinder 15 is in its lowermost position as shown in Fig. 4, the opening 18 in the cylinder 15 will coincide precisely with the corresponding opening in the side wall of the cylindrical die 10. To accomplish this, the cylinder 15 is slit at 29 and the cylindrical die 10 is provided with an outwardly extending lug 30 which protrudes through the slit 29. Therefore, the cylinder 15 may be longitudinally displaced within fixed limits with respect to the cylindrical die 10 but the cylinder 15 cannot be rotated with respect to the cylindrical die.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be observed that the cylindrical die 10 is provided with a passageway 31 in the upper portion thereof, this passageway 31 communicating between the chamber 28 and a position above the upper end of the cylinder 15 when the cylinder 15 is in its lowermost position.

The passageway 31 is in vertical alignment with the vacuum port 16 so that, when the cylinder 15 is raised into the position shown in Fig. '6, the passageway 31 will be in communication with the vacuum port 16 to permit air in the chamber 28 to be exhausted therefrom. Since the cylinder 15 is intended to be vertically reciprocated, a flexible tube 34 is employed to connect the vacuum port 16 with a source of vacuum.

Within the chamber 28 and near the exterior thereof there is provided a spring 32 of sufficient strength to expel. the crown cap 25 which becomes lodged within the chamber 28 when the crown cap 25 is formed about the mouth of the bottle as shown in Fig. 7. Centrally positioned within the same chamber 28 is a weak spring 33, the function of which will be more fully explained hereinafter.

The operation of the device of the invention is illustratively depicted in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

Referring to Fig. 5, the device of the invention has passed in front of the cap feeder and a cap 25 has been fed therefrom into the chamber 20 where it rests upon the protrudingledge '21. Inaddition, one of the bottle carrying supports which rotates along with the device of the invention and which is immediately therebelow has already passed in front of a bottle feeding conveyor band and a bottle 35 has been placed thereon andthe bottle support lifted so as to bring the neck of the bottle 35 into engagement with the elastic band 17 of the sliding cylinder 15. As can be seen, the cylinder 15 is still at the lower point of its downward stroke and the die cavity within the cylindrical die 10 is in communication with the atmosphere through the passageway 31. The vacuum line is still inoperative because the vacuum port 16 is blocked by the exterior of the cylindrical die 10.

The device of the invention together with the bottle carrying support therebelow are rotated about the rotary machine and the bottle carrying support is raised to raise the bottle 35 which carries with it the elastic band 17 and the sliding cylinder 15. Since the cylindrical die 10 is vertically stationary, the bottle 35 moves upwardly into the chamber 19 until the mouth of the bottle contacts the undersurface of the crown cap 25 and lifts the crown cap into the chamber 27. At this point, the cylinder 15 has been slid upwardly to align the vacuum port 16 with the passageway 31. This is the position shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

At this point, the cam track upon which the bottle carrying support rests remains level while the rotary machinecontinues to rotate both the device of the invention and the bottle carrying support. Therefore, the bottle carrying support remains stationary with respect to the device of the invention while a vacuum is created through the flexible tube 34, vacuum port 16 and the passageway 31.

The crown cap 25 is accordingly at rest upon the upper edge of the mouth of the bottle 35 and the air contained within the bottle 35 will escape through the slight surface irregularities which exist on the edge of the mouth of the bottle and in the sealing gasket within the crown cap, no pressure having as yet been applied to the gasket. Further, the crown cap will serve the purposes of a valve so that as the vacuum is created in the interior of the die cavity, the pressure of the air within the bottle 35 will force the crown cap 25 upwardly to permit this air to escape through the passageway 31.

The Weak spring 33 functions at this point to exert a slight downward pressure upon the crown cap 25 to regulate the velocity of the outgoing air within the bottle. This avoids excessive boiling of the liquid content of the bottle with a consequent loss of a portion of the contents. It will be appreciated that many liquids will boil at low temperatures upon application of a vacuum and the valve arrangement constituted by the cap 25 and the weak spring 33 acts as a foam breaker to permit air within the bottle to escape without excessive loss of liquid. Naturally, the strength of the spring 33 must be determined and regulated to provide the desired pressure in any particular instance.

Upon further rotation of the device of the invention together with the bottle carrying support therebelow, and close to the point Where the capped bottles are removed from the corresponding supports, the cam track upon which the bottle supports ride further elevates these supports to further force the bottles 35 upwardly into the cylindrical die 10 and finally into the position shown in Fig. 7 where the cap 25 has been forced into the chamber 28 and the side walls of the cap 25 have been formed around the mouth of the bottle by the conical chamber 27 which functions as a die.

Therefore, the closing and sealing operation is completed without the admission of air into the interior of the bottles 35. As can be seen in Fig. 7, the spring 32 is compressed and exerts a positive downward pressure against the cap 25 which, as the cam track upon which the bottle carrying supports ride permits these supports to move downwardly, will eject the cap and the mouth of the bottle from the chamber 28. As the bottle carrying supports continue their descending movement, the bottle 35 is lowered by gravity and pulls the cylinder 15 with it. The cylinder 15 will continue to descend until the lug 30 is once again at the upper extremity of the slit 29 and, as shown in Fig. 5, the passageway 31 is once again in communication with the atmosphere and the opening 18 in the cylinder 15 is again in alignment with the corresponding opening in the cylindrical die and with the ledge 21.

Since the vacuum in the die cavity Within cylindrical die 10 has now been destroyed, the capped bottle is freed and further descent of the bottle carrying support will lower the capped bottle to permit discharge thereof to a suitable conveyor which carries away the capped and sealed bottles. As previously indicated, the device of the invention has been returned to a cap receiving position and hence the sequence of operations previously described can be repeated to enable the vacuum capping of another bottle.

It is desired to point out that actuation of the vacuum line cannot be attained unless the cylinder is raised to align the vaccum port 16 with the passageway 31. Accordingly, should there be a failure to supply a bottle to one of the bottle carrying supports, the corresponding device of the invention will not receive a bottle and the cylinder 15 will not be lifted. Thus, the vacuum port 16 will never become aligned with the passageway 31 and there will be no danger that air will enter the system to interrupt the vacuum creating operations which are being conducted upon other bottles being capped by the same rotary capping machine.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for vacuum sealing bottles with crown caps, the improvement which comprises a vertically positioned cylindrical die having a die cavity in the lower end thereof, said die cavity including a cap receiving chamber, a cap supporting ledge positioned beneath said cap receiving chamber, a conical cap forming chamber positioned above said cap receiving chamber and a chamber for receiving the formed caps positioned above said conical cap forming chamber, said cylindrical die being formed with a lateral opening communicating with said cap receiving chamber to permit caps to be fed thereto and a passageway communicating between said die cavity and a point on the side of said die at the upper portion thereof, a cylinder slidingly fitted in air-tight fashion about the exterior of said cylindrical die and mounted for limited non-rotational longitudinal movement with respect thereto, said cylinder being provided with a lateral opening corresponding to the lateral opening in said die and a vacuum port, said cylinder being slidably movable from a lowermost position in which said lateral openings coincide to an upper cap forming position and to an intermediate position in Which said vacuum port is in communication with said passageway.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which the lower end of said cylinder is provided with an elastic band.

3. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which said vacuum port is connected to a flexible tube which communicates with a source of vacuum.

4. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which said cylinder is formed with a longitudinal slit and said die is provided with an outwardly extending lug protruding into said slit to thereby provide limited longitudinal movement of said cylinder with respect to said die and prevent relative rotation therebetween.

5. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which a strong spring is mounted in said chamber for receiving the formed caps to eject the formed caps therefrom.

6. Apparatus as recited in claim 5 in which said strong spring is positioned near the periphery of said chamber for receiving the formed caps.

7. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 in which a weak spring is centrally positioned within said chamber for receiving the formed caps, said weak spring extending downwardly into said conical cap forming chamber.

8. In rotary apparatus for capping bottles with crown caps in which closing dies are carried by radial arms secured to a central rotating supporting column which also carries bottle supports mounted immediately below said closing dies for rotation therewith and in which said bottle supports ride on a cam track which varies the distance separating said closing dies and said bottle supports during rotation thereof about said supporting column, means being provided to feed bottles to said bottle supports, caps to said closing dies and withdraw capped bottles from said bottle supports, the improvement which comprises closing dies each constituted by a vertically positioned cylindrical die having a die cavity in the lower end thereof, said die cavity including a cap receiving chamber, a cap supporting ledge positioned beneath said cap receiving chamber, a conical cap forming chamber positioned above said cap receiving chamber and a chamber for receiving the formed caps positioned above said conical cap forming chamber, said cylindrical die being formed with a lateral opening communicating with said cap receiving chamber to permit caps to be fed thereto and a passageway communicating between said die cavity and a point on the side of said die at the upper portion thereof, a cylinder slidingly fitted in air-tight fashion about the exterior of said cylindrical die and mounted for limited non-rotational longitudinal movement with respect thereto, said cylinder being provided with a lateral opening corresponding to the lateral opening in said die and a vacuum port, said cylinder being slidably movable from a lowermost position in which said lateral openings coincide to an upper cap forming position and to an intermediate position in which said vacuum port is in communication with said passageway, an elastic band at the lower end of said cylinder, and a flexible tube connected to said vacuum port and communicating with a source of vacuum.

9. Apparatus as recited in claim 8 in which a strong spring is mounted in said chamber for receiving the formed caps to eject the formed caps therefrom.

10. Apparatus as recited in claim 9 in which said strong spring is positioned near the periphery of said chamber for receiving the formed caps.

11. Apparatus as recited in claim 8 in which a weak spring is centrally positioned within said chamber for receiving the formed caps, said Weak spring extending downwardly into said conical cap forming chamber.

No references cited. 

